Apparatus for needling a web

ABSTRACT

1,110,246. Needling apparatus. E. FEHRER. 24 Oct., 1966 [26 Nov., 1965], No. 47615/66. Heading D1R. Apparatus for needling hair or fibre webs of the type comprising a multiplicity of vertically reciprocable needles 4 passing through a perforated stripper 3 into a web 2 advanced on a perforated support 1 by pairs of rollers 10 and 11, 12 before and after the needles is characterised in that the feed rollers are uniformly driven and the upper roll 12 of the succeeding pair is of elliptical or oval crosssection and is driven independently of the associated lower roll 11 by the means for vertically reciprocating the needles e.g. crankshaft 9. The drive is such that the larger diameter of the roll 12 extends horizontally during needle penetration, and extends vertically during needle raising, thus effecting an intermittent feed on the web.

ArflRA-Tus FOR INEEDLING A WEB Filed om.v 25, 1966 INVENTOR.

-4ZW'KJMQ United States Patent 3,391,436 APPARATUS FOR NEEDLING A WEB Ernst Fehrer, Auf der Gugl 28, Linz, Austria Filed Oct. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 589,373 Claims priority, application Austria, Nov. 26, 1965, A 10,636/65 Claims. (Cl. 28-4) This invention relates to apparatus for needling hair or fiber webs or the like, which apparatus comprises a multiplicity of vertically reciprocable needles which are disposed in rows and columns and are moved through a perforated stripper from above into a web or the like, which is advanced on a perforated support by pairs of rolls disposed before and behind the needles. The needles have barbs, by which individual fibers or hairs are caught when the needles penetrate the web, and by which these fibers or hairs are entrained so that the piercing of the web improves the coherence of the hairs or fibers and the felting of the web. Webs consisting only of hairs or fibers as well as structures having a woven fabric backing have been needled.

It was previously generally believed that the web must be at a standstill during the piercing movement and may be advanced by a suitable distance only when the needles have been raised and are disengaged from the web. For this reason, the feed rolls are intermittently driven to rotate only when the needles are disengaged from the web whereas the rolls are at a standstill during the piercing operation. This method of feeding the web has proved satisfactory as long as the number of needle strokes and of stopping and rotating cycles of the rolls is relatively small per unit of time. If the number of strokes is increased, as is desirable, the drive of the rolls involves considerable difiiculties. If the rolls are extended in length for the processing of wider webs, the masses to be accelerated and retarded become so large that in the ease of a large number of strokes, or stoppages of the roll drives, the inertia forces prevent a perfect stoppage of the rolls and the transmissions are subjected to stresses which they cannot withstand if the transmission elements are kept within reasonable dimensions. In the case of feed rolls having a relatively large length and mass, the intermittent drive of such rolls at a high frequency subjects the entire needling apparatus to vibration, which is highly inconvenient and can hardly be controlled.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and provide an apparatus for needling hair or fiber webs or the like in which apparatus the stroke frequency of the needles can be increased to a value which has not been attained before whereas this high stroke frequency does not give rise to any difliculties in the feeding of the web.

The invention resides in that the feed rolls are uniformly driven and the upper roll of the pair of rolls which succeeds the needles has an elliptical or oval cross-sectional shape and is connected independently of the associated lower roll to the drive means for the vertical reciprocation of the needles in such a manner that the larger diameter of said upper roll extends horizontally when the needles are lowered and extends vertically when the needles are raised. Contrary to the previous belief in the art, the feed rolls are now continuously driven. This results in a considerable simplification in structure, and vibration due to the rolls is avoided. The constant rotation of the pair of rolls which precede the needles does not involve any difficulty because the feeding of the web during the piercing movement of the needle results only in a certain upsetting or arching of that portion of the web which is disposed between the needles and the forward pair of needles. It will depend on the nature of the 3,391,435 Patented July 9, 1968 "ice web whether this portion is upset or arched. Neither an upsetting nor an arching of this portion has any detrimental influence on the web or the like ,or on its quality. 011 the other hand, a continued rotation of the pair of rolls which succeeds the needles while the web is pierced and held by the needles might cause a formation of short tears in the web if the same has no woven fabric backing and consists of short fibers, or the stoppage of said pair of rolls would result in detrimental reactions if the web is tear-resisting. To avoid this, the upper roll of this rear pair of rolls has an elliptical or oval cross-section and is connected to the needle drive in such a manner that the larger diameter is horizontal when the web is pierced by the needles, so that the shorter diameter is then vertical and the spacing between the upper and lower rolls is increased, resulting in a reduced frictional engagement and in an increased slippage of the rolls relative to the web. As soon as the needles are being raised, the upper roll is rotated so that its larger diameter assumes a vertical position so that the spacing of the rolls is much reduced, the web is compressed between the rolls, the frictional engagement is increased and the web is entrained with a smaller slippage by the driving lower roll. In spite of the fact that the rolls rotate continuously, a substantial tensile force is applied to the web only when the needles are raised so that a tearin of the web or other damage thereto need not be feared. The lower roll of the pair of rolls which succeed the needles is driven at somewhat higher speed than the pair of rolls before the needles to allow for the arching or folding caused during the piercing in webs having a woven fabric backing, and for the stretching of pure hair or fiber webs during the needling operation.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing the most important parts of a needling device according to the invention.

A web 2 to be needled is advanced in the direction of the arrow on a perforated support 1. A perforated stripper 3 is disposed over the support 1. Needles 4, which are closely spaced in rows and columns, are moved through the stripper 3 into the web. The needles 4 are mounted in needle boards 5, which are carried by a vertically reciprocated needle board holder 6. The needle board holder 6 is suspended from slidably guided rods 7, which are connected by connecting rods 8 to a crankshaft 9.

Two pairs of rolls 10 and 11, 12 are provided before and behind the needles 1. Both pairs of needles are driven constantly rather than intermittently. The surface speed of the lower roll 11 is somewhat higher than that of the pair of rolls 10 and the upper roll 12 is driven independently of the lower roll 11 by the means for reciprocating the needles, i.e., by the crankshaft 9. The upper roll 12 is elliptical or oval in cross-section and is coupled to the needle movement with such a phase relation that its larger diameter is horizontal when the needles have penetrated the web whereas the larger diameter moves to a vertical position when the needles are being raised. In the penetrating position shown on the drawing, the spacing of the rolls 11, 12 has been increased to such an extent that there is a slippage between the rolls and the web and the latter is not pulled. When the needles are raised, there is an effective frictional force transmission between the rolls and the web.

The ovality of the upper roll 12 is exaggerated in the drawing for the sake of clearness. The desired effect can actually be obtained with a much lower difference in diameter.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for needling a web, said apparatus comprising a perforated support, a perforated stripper spaced from said support in a direction normal to said support, a set of needles arranged in rows and columns and movable through said stripper into the space between said stripper and said support, needle drive means for extending and retracting said needles into and out of said space, and feeding means for advancing a web through said space, said feeding means comprising a first pair of feed rolls disposed adjacent to one end of said set of needles, a second pair of feed rolls disposed adjacent to the opposite end of said set of needles, first roll driving means for continuously driving at least one of said first pair of feed rolls, and second roll driving means for continuously driving one of said second feed rolls, the other one of said second feed rolls being non-circular in crosssection and having a largest diameter and being arranged and connected to said needle drive means in such a manner that said largest diameter is horizontal when said needles are fully extended into said space, and vertical when said needles are fully retracted from said space, said feeding means being operable to advance a web in the direction from said first pair of rolls to said second pair of rolls.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said other roll is elliptical in cross-section.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said other roll is oval in cross-section.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said support and stripper are horizontal, said srtipper is spaced above said support, said needles are vertically reciprocable, each of said pairs of feed r-olls comprises upper and lower rolls, and said non-circular roll of said second pair of rolls is said upper roll thereof.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said second roll driving means are operable to drive said one feed roll of said second pair at a surface speed which is higher than the surface speed imparted to said one feed roll of said first pair by said first roll driving means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,010,173 11/1961 Rust 2s-4 3,112,549 12/1963 Smith 23 4 3,116,534 1/1964 OByrne 28-4 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR NEEDLING A WEB, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A PERFORATED SUPPORT, A PERFORATED STRIPPER SPACED FROM SAID SUPPORT IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID SUPPORT, A SET OF NEEDLES ARRANGED IN ROWS AND COLUMNS AND MOVABLE THROUGH SAID STRIPPER INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID STRIPPER AND SAID SUPPORT, NEEDLE DRIVE MEANS FOR EXTENDING AND RETRACTING SAID NEEDLES INTO AND OUT OF SAID SPACE, AND FEEDING MEANS FOR COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF SAID SPACE, SAID FEEDING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF FEED ROLLS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO ONE END OF SAID SET OF NEEDLES, A SECOND PAIR OF FEED ROLLS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID SET OF NEEDLES, FIRST ROLL DRIVING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF FEED ROLLS, AND SECOND ROLL DRIVING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING ONE OF SAID SECOND FEED ROLLS, THE OTHER ONE OF SAID SECOND FEED ROLLS BEING NON-CIRCULAR IN CROSSSECTION AND HAVING A LARGEST DIAMETER AND BEING ARRANGED AND CONNECTED TO SAID NEEDLE DRIVE MEANS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT SAID LARGEST DIAMETER IS HORIZONTAL WHEN SAID NEEDLES ARE FULLY EXTENDED INTO SAID SPACE, AND VERTICAL WHEN SAID NEEDLES ARE FULLY RETRACTED FROM SAID SPACE, SAID FEEDING MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO ADVANCED A WEB IN THE DIRECTION FROM SAID FIRST PAIR OF ROLLS TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF ROLLS. 